Other words for Homeline

Cowd · 09-22-2009, 02:52 PM

I'm writing an alternate history outside of the IW setting and I need a word for our timeline, for easy comparison. 'Homeline' is so, well, science fictiony, plus, it's tied up with the Infinite Worlds setting. I'm writing this not from the perspective of a Homeliner who's actually visited other dimensions, but from the perspective of a guy from this history (me), who's writing about a potential alternate history. I've wrung my brain but I'm stumped. I don't want to have to keep writing "our history" or "factual history". I want a snappy, clinical, generic expression to distinguish 'our' timeline from alternate timelines.

Thanks for all help!

David Johnston2 · 09-22-2009, 03:15 PM

How about "reality".

Soc.history.what-if uses OTL.

LoneWolf23k · 09-22-2009, 04:21 PM

Earth-Prime, Earth-Alpha, Earth-One...

Fish · 09-22-2009, 05:24 PM

You can borrow some medical Latin and Greek terms. "Native history" can be our natural history. If you speak of an event that is foreign to our timeline, you can refer to it as "grafted history." You might also consider some other medical terminology: proximal, meaning "nearest," to refer to a recent change in the historical timeline, and distal, meaning "farther away," for more distant changes.

You might also consider the terms "divergent" and "convergent" (or even "covergent") respectively meaning to split apart and to come together.

Another set of terms that might be handy for the "standard history" is based on the metamor of time as tapestry. "Home thread" might work.

Stormcrow · 09-22-2009, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowd

snappy, clinical, generic expression

Snappy and clinical? Aren't those mutually exclusive?

Um... Terra Primoris?

simply Nathan · 09-22-2009, 05:33 PM

Centrum.
Yrth.
Dennis.

Rocket Man · 09-22-2009, 05:40 PM

Top-of-the-head, with no guarantee of quality

Earth
Home
Zeropoint (as in the center of a graph, from which everything else deviates)
Baseline
Prime
Authentic (as in Authentic Earth, Authentic history, etc.)
Basic (ditto)
Classic
TrueEarth
Motherworld/Motherline

Captain-Captain · 09-22-2009, 05:44 PM

Probability 1. Short for probablity exactly 100%.

capnq · 09-22-2009, 07:20 PM

In H. Beam Piper's Paratime stories, our timeline was the Europo-American sector of the Nilo-Mesopotamian cluster.

In Michael McCollum's A Greater Infinity, the paratime civilization called our timeline Europo-American because they liked Piper's nomenclature. :-)

quarkstomper · 09-27-2009, 03:59 PM

"Earth-Prime" is a classic. Unless you expect some sort of Infinite Crisis to pop up.

09-22-2009, 02:52 PM	#1
Cowd Join Date: Dec 2006	Other words for Homeline I'm writing an alternate history outside of the IW setting and I need a word for our timeline, for easy comparison. 'Homeline' is so, well, science fictiony, plus, it's tied up with the Infinite Worlds setting. I'm writing this not from the perspective of a Homeliner who's actually visited other dimensions, but from the perspective of a guy from this history (me), who's writing about a potential alternate history. I've wrung my brain but I'm stumped. I don't want to have to keep writing "our history" or "factual history". I want a snappy, clinical, generic expression to distinguish 'our' timeline from alternate timelines. Thanks for all help!

09-22-2009, 03:15 PM	#2
David Johnston2 Join Date: Dec 2007	Re: Other words for Homeline How about "reality". Soc.history.what-if uses OTL.

09-22-2009, 04:21 PM	#3
LoneWolf23k Join Date: Sep 2004	Re: Other words for Homeline Earth-Prime, Earth-Alpha, Earth-One...

09-22-2009, 05:24 PM	#4
Fish Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: Other words for Homeline You can borrow some medical Latin and Greek terms. "Native history" can be our natural history. If you speak of an event that is foreign to our timeline, you can refer to it as "grafted history." You might also consider some other medical terminology: proximal, meaning "nearest," to refer to a recent change in the historical timeline, and distal, meaning "farther away," for more distant changes. You might also consider the terms "divergent" and "convergent" (or even "covergent") respectively meaning to split apart and to come together. Another set of terms that might be handy for the "standard history" is based on the metamor of time as tapestry. "Home thread" might work.

09-22-2009, 05:33 PM	#6
simply Nathan formerly known as 'Kenneth Latrans' Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Wyoming, Michigan	Re: Other words for Homeline Centrum. Yrth. Dennis. __________________ Ba-weep granah wheep minibon. Wubba lubba dub dub.

09-22-2009, 05:40 PM	#7
Rocket Man Petitioner: Word of IN Filk Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Longmont, CO	Re: Other words for Homeline Top-of-the-head, with no guarantee of quality Earth Home Zeropoint (as in the center of a graph, from which everything else deviates) Baseline Prime Authentic (as in Authentic Earth, Authentic history, etc.) Basic (ditto) Classic TrueEarth Motherworld/Motherline __________________ “It's not railroading if you offer the PCs tickets and they stampede to the box office, waving their money. Metaphorically speaking” --Elizabeth McCoy, In Nomine Line Editor Author: "What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger"

09-22-2009, 05:44 PM	#8
Captain-Captain Join Date: Aug 2004	Re: Other words for Homeline Probability 1. Short for probablity exactly 100%. __________________ ...().0...0() .../..........\ -/......O.....\- ...VVVVVVV ..^^^^^^^ A clock running two hours slow has the correct time zero times a day.

09-22-2009, 07:20 PM	#9
capnq Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pittsburgh PA USA	Re: Other words for Homeline In H. Beam Piper's Paratime stories, our timeline was the Europo-American sector of the Nilo-Mesopotamian cluster. In Michael McCollum's A Greater Infinity, the paratime civilization called our timeline Europo-American because they liked Piper's nomenclature. :-) __________________ Cap'n Q When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained. -- Mark Twain

09-27-2009, 03:59 PM	#10
quarkstomper Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: The Enchanted Land-O-Cheese	Re: Other words for Homeline "Earth-Prime" is a classic. Unless you expect some sort of Infinite Crisis to pop up.